You seriously weren’t counting Jimmie Johnson out were you? Me? I’ve seen this movie before- and though were were slight variations in the plot, the end was quite familiar.
Let’s face it, there’s no one better today at race management than the dynamic duo of Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus. In spite of giving up track position during an early caution stop, Johnson fought his way back to win his 5th victory in 6 races at Martinsville on the silver anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports’ first win.
Technically, the date (April 29, 1984) is still a month away- but it was at Martinsville where Geoff Bodine got Rick Hendrick his first win as an owner. Johnson’s win highlighted a dominant day for HMS drivers.
Jeff Gordon led for 147 laps before settling for 4th. Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. hustled their way towards the front to finish 7th and 8th respectively.
I was too young to see him in his heyday, but from what I’ve seen, heard and read- I believe it is not inappropriate to draw a parallel between Johnson and the “Silver Fox” David Pearson. With Pearson, it didn’t matter where he was early in the race, because you always knew he’s be around towards the front at the end.
The 2009 running of the Goody’s 500 saw Johnson being a practitioner of that same brand of patience. Gordon dominated the race early, Denny Hamlin seemed sure to repeat the spring, 2008 race that put him in victory lane, and yet it was Johnson- right around lap 484 seizing the lead and taking the checkered flag when it was all said and done.
The exchange between Johnson and Hamlin was the battle old-school fans have been clamoring for all season. It was an impressive battle, watching the two competitors trade, go sideways and still hang on to their cars.
That’s what you call being a wheel man.
You build a fast car, and just about anybody with more ambition than common sense can get a car up front. What takes skill is taking a car that isn’t just quite right, and having the patience to work it out in spite of the risk involved in giving up track position. Johnson had been passed on lap 66 by Hamlin for 3rd place, and when a caution flag waved at lap 71, Johnson came into the pits to work on the car.
The move paid dividends.
Like the old Silver Fox, you’d better know where he is, because he knows where you are. Today- the “48″ team treated the fans to a show- one that was just as much about brains as it was brawn.
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
It was a good day to be Tony Stewart. Smoke finished 3rd and his teammate/ employee Ryan Newman made a determined run to take 6th….
Clint Bowyer’s 5th place finish solidifies his position in 2nd in the season points. While never seriously challenging for the lead, Bowyer kept himself in contention all day…
Well this is a change: After seeming a little too satisfied with a 14th place finish in Bristol, Junior remarked he was not happy with his 8th place finish in Martinsville. Perhaps the competitive fire isn’t out after all….
Hats off to A.J. Allmendinger for his top 10 run. He’s now looking good for sponsorship through May, and at the rate he’s going- Allmendinger will be set for the season soon…
It was not a good day for some of the usual suspects. Kyle Busch finished 24th on the day, Carl Edwards ran 26th, Brian Vickers took 33rd and Kurt Busch’s 18th place finish would likely be regarded as a disappointment by 2009 standards.
The Rocky Balboa Award would have to go to Michael Waltrip. In spite of numerous early race troubles, Mikey wound up 13th on the day.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Though in my opinion not to the caliber we are use to seeing racing at Martinsville, I do believe the pace has picked up considerably. Last week, I posted an article on my website regarding Fox going on record as stating the design of the new car has led to decreased viewership amongst its TV audience. It was refreshing for me to see that a national media outlet had backed up claims I had made in articles last year regarding the “COT”. There have been over 50% fewere passes for the lead this season according to sources at Fox, which to me, is significant. The circuit is hitting some tracks coming up that should traditionally provide for some awesome racing. It will be interesting to see how it pans out. It was nice to see Jr. finally pull off a top ten finish after such a dreary start to the season.
Very nice Jim, you compare the driver that I feel is the greatest of all time to
my favorite driver! Both David and Jimmie are great tactitions and know better than almost anyone else how to save their equipment for when it matters most. With all the tire and brake heat problems we saw during this race it is easy to see where the cars can get overworked, especially if they are not handling very good at a demanding track like Martinsville. Chad and Jimmie stuck in there and brought the 48 in for more pit stops than I cared for but it obviously worked out in the end. They have enough faith in each other to not get overly frustrated early on in the race. Tenacity, patience and intelligence are the keys to their sustained success.